University of Tennessee Audiology & Speech Pathology Program

About Their Students

The Department of Audiology & Speech Pathology is the largest program in the state and awards six degrees: (B.A. in Audiology, B.A. in Speech Pathology; M.A. in Speech Language Pathology; M.A. in Audiology; Au.D. Doctor of Audiology; Ph.D. in Hearing Science). No other school in the University of Tennessee system offers these degrees. There are severe shortages of audiologists and speech pathologists in Tennessee and this program provides an essential resource for the state. Currently, there are 110 undergraduates in the major, 59 M.A. students in speech-language pathology, 40 Au.D. students, and 16 Ph.D. students.

The Department of Audiology & Speech Pathology recruits top quality applicants from Tennessee and out of state. The undergraduate program is rapidly increasing in size even though it requires a B average or better for admission. Graduate applications are also increasing and the department averages almost 200 graduate applications per year.

State of the art student education is provided, including a specialty concentration in aural rehabilitation for graduate students in audiology and speech pathology. The aural rehabilitation concentration helps supply the state with specialists who are able to work with hearing impaired children. This need and the excellence of the UT program was recognized by the United States Department of Education which provides $250,000 per year as part of a grant to support student training in this area.

In both Audiology and Speech Pathology, graduate students have a 100% employment rate at graduation.

The Department of Audiology & Speech Pathology has one of the largest graduate programs in the College (if not the largest) and has a large percentage of female graduates with M.A. and doctoral degrees.

The Reason Many Audiologists & Speech Pathologists are Needed

Across the country, there are acute shortages of Audiologists & Speech Pathologists. In the state of Tennessee, the need is felt even in well populated areas like Knox County with even greater shortages in rural areas. The need is great in the public schools as well as in hospitals and clinics. There is no program duplication – in fact the programs across the state cooperate because there is no need to compete for students. The number of applications is greater than the number of spaces available. The 100% employment rate at graduation demonstrates that the demand exceeds the supply.

Research/Scholarship

Three programs are nationally ranked in the College of Arts & Sciences – Audiology, Speech Pathology, and Art.

The Department provides cutting edge research that is guiding diagnosis and treatment in the field. In the past 5 years, faculty have numerous national awards for outstanding articles, outstanding research and one entire issue of a major national journal was devoted to UT research. Funding is being provided by the hearing aid industry, the Department of Education, and the two primary national organizations in the discipline.

Faculty scholarship is recognized internationally and has resulted in numerous invitations for editorships, peer-reviews, grant-reviews, seminars, and research presentations.

Students in the department have received numerous awards for their research. The Department of Audiology is the only department in the country with students winning awards for three years in a row at the American Academy of Audiology annual conference. In the last five years, the National Institutes of Health has awarded funding for research to their students and faculty.

Service to Our Community

As a member of the community their student training programs contribute back in the following ways:

• Over 2500 patients served by their students within their clinics in the last 14 months.

• Over 17,000 assessment or treatment services in the last 14 months.

• Patient base represents 25 different counties in surrounding areas.

• Over 500 medical personnel refer patients to us.

• Service to indigent populations (38% on TENNCARE) who are at risk for getting the services they need for 2 reasons. First, many services are highly specialized e.g., pediatric audiology and treatment services for young hearing-impaired children. Second, few service providers accept TENNCARE patients.

• Contracts with nine different county school systems to serve children with hearing impairments.

• Service to a diverse population including families who do not speak English as a primary language.

• Service to patients in local hospitals and clinics through practicum placements.

• In-service training to teachers and speech-language pathologists in the state of Tennessee on cutting edge techniques.
  

After reading all this, would you shut down this program? I think not!